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Date: 3 Nov 92 18:35:26 GMT
From: yale.edu!jvnc.net!netnews.upenn.edu!uofs!guinness.cs.uofs.edu!beidler@yal
e-bulldog.arpa  (Jack Beidler)
Subject: Re: Ada as the language of first exposure
Message-ID: <11244@platypus.uofs.uofs.edu>
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

In article <1992Oct29.195323.21913@beaver.cs.washington.edu>, pattis@cs.washing
ton.edu (Richard Pattis) writes:
|> Just two comments:
|> 
|> 1) We've been teaching Ada to our 1st year students hear aw UW for 4 years; 
we
|> now teach 1,200/year. We teach Ada to these students as an improved,
|> standardized Pascal. Sure we don't teach some things (tasking is the most
|> obvious). But we do teach exceptions (they are in Pascal, just not
|> controllable), operator overloading (with complex numbers),  packages,
|> generics (sorting and queues are the most obvious examples), and the
|> protection afforded by private types.
|> 
|> Ada contains many simple features that improve on Pascal: no begin-end block
s
|> in control structures, ... (more good stuff)

Rich's response clearly indicates he is doing the right things, like
teaching concepts, and giving the language second billing in the course.  It al
so
illustrates another important issue that is true about Ada.  Ada is not just
a programming language, it can be an enabling tool that helps in presenting 
larger software engineering issues.  Not only does Ada not get in the way, it
is a catalyst for developing software engineers instead of hackers.

|> 2) The price problem is still there, but much reduced. With NYU's free AdaEd
,
|> Alsys lowering prices to $500 for a bunch of machines, Meridian's sub $100
|> compiler for PCs, DEC's inclusion of Ada in their Academic Software Package,
|> the upcoming GNU Ada (GNAT) this complaint is not a show stopper.

Is the cost of the compiler an excuse used my many faculty who are looking for
a reason not to leave the comfort of their old text and old course notes?  
If it is, will they now look for another excuse, or do the right thing?  I am
sure that Rich would agree with me when I say that in making the transition to
teaching CS 1 (or CS 2) with Ada the instructor must make an investment in 
time and effort to make proper use of Ada, not just as a programming language,
but as an educational tool.

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|  John (Jack) Beidler				                   |
|  Prof. of Computer Science Internet: BEIDLER@JAGUAR.UOFS.ED      |
|  University of Scranton              beidler@guinness.cs.uofs.edu|
|  Scranton, PA 18510	      Bitnet : BEIDLER@SCRANTON            |
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